C/D: You certainly must be our only interviewee to have foiled a crazed hijacker.

CK: Christ, that was 20-some years ago. It was a guy who walked into my office and wanted to charter a Learjet to Washington, D.C. When we asked for a credit card, he opened his briefcase and pulled out a knife. At knifepoint, I led him into the jet but didn’t lock the door behind us. I knew the police would come—or I hoped. So he climbed into the right seat, and I started the engines, just idling. That’s when the state police parked their cruiser in front of us. Now the hijacker goes really berserk and I started wrestling with him to get the knife. I got cut up some. But before it got real bad, a cop pressed a gun to the guy’s head.

C/D: We assume you’re now in better health.

CK: Just had a knee replacement. So I have a problem walking. On top of that, I have a case of the gout. Bad gout.

C/D: What plane do you fly to the races?

CK: A King Air for nearby races. Also a nine-seat Falcon 20. And a Challenger for West Coast races. Dougie [Kalitta’s nephew and lead driver] is our pilot. I wish I was as good as he is today.

C/D: How many planes are in your fleet?

CK: Around 100, including 30 747s, with 16 operating right now.

Connie Kalitta pictured in 1967.

C/D: Are you ever tempted to walk into one of your hangars and say, “I think I’ll fly to Rome today”?

CK: Nope. Not smart to fly these planes for no good reason. Next week, for instance, Doug and I have a meeting in Fort Lauderdale. We’ll take a commercial flight. I used to own some hobby aircraft, but I got rid of them. I didn’t have the time.

C/D: You’re one of the few civilians with his own Air Force base.

CK: It’s the old Wurtsmith base, near Oscoda, Michigan. But I don’t own it. I lease it. Its purpose is for maintenance of my aircraft. I have 900 maintenance people.

C/D: How is your time split between the air-freight business and drag racing?

CK: Ninety percent business, 10 percent racing. I make sure to go into the race shop once a day.

C/D: What’s your annual racing budget?

CK: Three million per car. And I have four cars. That doesn’t include the support equipment. Each transporter rig, for instance, is worth $1 million empty. I still have to add money from my own pocket.

C/D: Do you stay in touch with [former Top Fuel driver] Shirley Muldowney?

CK: Not at all. No communication.

C/D: Given your prickly association with Shirley, did you hesitate to take on Alexis DeJoria as your driver?

CK: No. I watched Alexis race her Alcohol Funny Car. I watched what she was doing—crashing. But she always climbed right back in, smiling. I liked that.

February 2, 1996: Connie Kalitta performs during the NHRA Winternationals held at Pomona Dragway in California.

C/D: You have a reputation for being demanding. Maybe even mean. Is that fair?

CK: A lot of people have put that tattoo on me, but it’s not the way I am. I’m easy with employees. I make sure they get credit for their work. Naturally, sometimes a guy will screw up, and I’ll have to apply some “retraining.”

C/D: You have only one working eye and one working ear?

CK: True. Good thing I have spares. When we went to zoomie headers that turn upward, there went my hearing. The noise juggled the brain in my skull. Maybe you noticed.

C/D: When your son, Scott, was killed, you must have said, “It’s time to quit.”

CK: I never thought of retiring. I’m a racer. So was he. It helped to find some answers to explain the crash. Turns out it was a fuel additive that blew up Scott’s engine. So, NHRA now demands that it be 100-percent pure nitro. Also, many of our racetracks were built in the ’60s—not much real estate for runoff. New tracks like Las Vegas, hell, you could drive off the end of that track and continue safely 20 miles into the desert. But there’s not a day goes by I don’t think of Scott. It’s still traumatic.

C/D: After 60-some years of racing, do you ever arrive at a track and say, “I wish I were someplace else”?

CK: No. I want to be there. Don’t have to.

C/D: Anything you’d have done differently?

CK: Nope. I’ve been happy with my life. Also very lucky. I lead two lives—businessman and racer—and it feels like the best of both worlds.